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Judges 11:12-28
1599 Geneva Bible
Judges 11:12-28
1599 Geneva Bible
12 ¶ Then Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me, to fight in my land?
13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, (A)Because Israel took my land, when they came up from Egypt, from Arnon unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands [a]quietly.
14 Yet Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon,
15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, (B)Israel took not the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon.
16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the red sea, then they came to Kadesh.
17 (C)And Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, go through thy land: but the king of Edom would not consent: and also they sent unto the king of Moab, but he would not: therefore Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Then they went through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the Eastside of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, (D)and came not within the coast of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 Also Israel (E)sent messengers unto Sihon, king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, by thy land unto our [b]place.
20 But Sihon [c]consented not to Israel, that he should go through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
21 And the Lord God of Israel gave Sihon, and all his folk into the hands of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country:
22 And they possessed (F)all the coast of the Amorites, from Arnon unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
23 Now therefore the Lord God of Israel hath cast out the Amorites before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
24 Wouldest not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the [d]Lord our God driveth out before us, them will we possess.
25 (G)And art thou now far better than Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab? did he not strive with Israel and fight against them,
26 When Israel dwelt in Heshbon and in her towns, and in Aroer and in her towns, and in all the cities that are by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why did ye not then recover [e]them in that space?
27 Wherefore I have not offended thee: but thou doest me wrong to war against me. The Lord the Judge [f]be judge this day between the children of Israel, and the children of Ammon.
28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah, which he had sent him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 11:13 Hebrew, in peace.
- Judges 11:19 Or, country.
- Judges 11:20 He trusted them not to go through his country.
- Judges 11:24 For we ought more to believe and obey God, than thou thine idols.
- Judges 11:26 Meaning, their towns.
- Judges 11:27 To punish the offender.
Judges 11:12-28
New International Version
Judges 11:12-28
New International Version
12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: “What do you have against me that you have attacked my country?”
13 The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon(A) to the Jabbok,(B) all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably.”
14 Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, 15 saying:
“This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab(C) or the land of the Ammonites.(D) 16 But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea[a](E) and on to Kadesh.(F) 17 Then Israel sent messengers(G) to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Give us permission to go through your country,’(H) but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab,(I) and he refused.(J) So Israel stayed at Kadesh.
18 “Next they traveled through the wilderness, skirted the lands of Edom(K) and Moab, passed along the eastern side(L) of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon.(M) They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border.
19 “Then Israel sent messengers(N) to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon,(O) and said to him, ‘Let us pass through your country to our own place.’(P) 20 Sihon, however, did not trust Israel[b] to pass through his territory. He mustered all his troops and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.(Q)
21 “Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and his whole army into Israel’s hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, 22 capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan.(R)
23 “Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? 24 Will you not take what your god Chemosh(S) gives you? Likewise, whatever the Lord our God has given us,(T) we will possess. 25 Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor,(U) king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them?(V) 26 For three hundred years Israel occupied(W) Heshbon, Aroer,(X) the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn’t you retake them during that time? 27 I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge,(Y) decide(Z) the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.(AA)”
28 The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.
Footnotes
- Judges 11:16 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Judges 11:20 Or however, would not make an agreement for Israel
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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